ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the health status of high-radon exposure miners in a typical non-uranium mine in Jiangxi Province, China. Methods A general survey was conducted to investigate the basic situation and awareness rate of radon among underground miners aged ≥ 40 years, and the occupational health examination and low-dose lung computed tomography scan were carried out. Results The awareness rate of radon among miners working down the mine was only 3.70%. The peripheral blood lymphocyte chromosome aberration analysis showed an aberration rate of 0% per 100 cells. The peripheral blood lymphocyte micronucleus test showed an abnormal rate of 0.02‰. Ophthalmic examinations (slit-lamp examination of the lens, the vitreous body, the fundus) showed no abnormality. The abnormal rate of leukocyte count was 3.70%, and the detection rate of small lung nodules was 48.15%. Conclusion The high-radon exposure minors had a high detection rate of small lung nodules, and lack knowledge of radon. It is urgent to strengthen the publicity and education on the hazards of radon and the prevention and control of occupational diseases.
ABSTRACT
Magnolol, a hydroxylated biphenyl compound isolated from Magnolia officinalis has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of magnolol on acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice. Male BALB/c mice were pretreated with dexamethasone or magnolol 1 h before intranasal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). 7 h after LPS administration, the myeloperoxidase in lung tissues, lung wet/dry weight ratio and inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were determined. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The extent of phosphorylation of nuclear factor of inhibitory kappa B alpha (IκB-α), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65 and the expression of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) were detected by western blot. The results showed that magnolol markedly attenuated the histological alterations in the lung; reduced the number of total cells, neutrophils, and macrophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; decreased the wet/dry weight ratio of lungs in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid; down-regulated the level of pro-inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6; inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB-α, NF-κB p65 and the expression of TLR4, caused by LPS. Taken together, our results suggest that anti-inflammatory effects of magnolol against the LPS-induced acute lung injury may be due to its ability of inhibition TLR4 mediated NF-κB signaling pathways. Magnolol may be a promising potential therapeutic reagent for acute lung injury treatment.
Subject(s)
Acute Lung Injury/metabolism , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Biphenyl Compounds/pharmacology , Lignans/pharmacology , Lipopolysaccharides/toxicity , NF-kappa B/physiology , Signal Transduction/drug effects , Toll-Like Receptor 4/physiology , Acute Lung Injury/chemically induced , Acute Lung Injury/drug therapy , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use , Biphenyl Compounds/therapeutic use , Lignans/therapeutic use , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , NF-kappa B/antagonists & inhibitors , Random Allocation , Signal Transduction/physiology , Toll-Like Receptor 4/antagonists & inhibitors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Stevioside, a diterpene glycoside isolated from Stevia rebaudiana, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory properties. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of stevioside in modifying lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced signal pathways in RAW264.7 cells. RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS in the presence or absence of stevioside. The expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), inhibitory kappa B (IκBα) protein, p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) were determined by western blot. The results showed that stevioside dose-dependently inhibited the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1ß in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Western blot analysis showed that stevioside suppressed LPS-induced NF-κB activation, IκBa degradation, phosphorylation of ERK, JNK, and P38. Our results suggest that stevioside exerts an anti-inflammatory property by inhibiting the activation of NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and the release of proinflammatory cytokines. These findings suggest that stevioside may be a therapeutic agent against inflammatory diseases.
